Many Maryland business owners are not familiar with the federal and state laws that regulate their hiring practices and create employment contracts for their employees. Too many of these employers go on to violate some or all the labor laws, which can lead to legal problems. This is why it is so important for them to have a business attorney at hand who can help them out.

The COVID-19 pandemic thrust nearly everyone into a different way of working and doing business than ever before. People had to quickly adapt to working from a home office instead of going into the office every day. Many places are open again, but with some significant differences.

If you do business within Maryland involving selling, lending, leasing, renting, or creating bailments of any consumer services, goods, or realty, you need to understand the Maryland Consumer Protection Act to make sure you do not violate its requirements. Consumers could file a complaint with the Maryland Attorney General’s Office or sue your company directly for money damages and their attorney fees.

As you piece together your business framework, one of the first decisions you will make is your business structure. In Maryland, as in most states, the most popular business structures small business owners choose between are sole proprietorships vs. single-member LLCs.

Your corporate policies and procedures govern numerous aspects of how your company operates and conducts business. The policies and procedures that your company develops protect your company, but they also protect the company’s employees, customers, and clients. Below are eight business matters that generally benefit from well-developed policies and procedures.

Maryland is the sixth state to adopt a $15/hour State Minimum Wage for its workforce, behind California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. And while the increase will be phased into full effect gradually over the next 5-6 years, ensuring compliance requires an understanding of several factors:

Yes, it is wise to have a copyright policy for your website to protect the content you publish on your website. It is not mandatory to use a copyright policy for websites, but it can prevent people from stealing your work and using it for purposes that might be contradictory to your company’s vision and purpose.

A great employee benefits plan can help employers attract the best and most promising talent in 2020 and beyond. A valuable employee benefits package also keeps highly-qualified talent from leaving the company. However, many employers are unfamiliar with employee benefits. Talking with a business attorney or fractional general counsel can help guide you through the process. Meanwhile, check out this primer on employee benefits. It will help you understand some things to consider as you create an employee benefits package for your company.

Many entrepreneurs discover that they need a competent general counsel at various stages in the business cycle. They need legal services to address matters related to intellectual property, employment matters, contract negotiation, contract review, litigation, and other legal issues. Few small-to-mid-size business owners have the budget to hire outside counsel a full-time, in-house counsel. Retaining a DC fractional general counsel for your company might give you the best of both options.

As an employer, social media accounts can be a great way to vet and research prospective employees. An employer could violate a person’s legal rights by including social media accounts in a background search without obtaining permission from the applicant. An attorney can also help you develop a screening process and background search that might include social media accounts while protecting you, your company, and your employees from potential lawsuits and liability for violating employment and privacy laws.

A nondisclosure agreement or NDA creates a legally binding, confidential relationship between your company and another party. NDAs are also referred to as confidentiality agreements because they require another party to maintain the secrecy of information disclosed in confidence by the other party. With an NDA, you can protect sensitive and valuable information related to your small business.

Purchasing business insurance is like paying for licenses and permits for your business. It is something you know you need. It is also a cost of doing business, but it is an expense you would rather do without. Without insurance coverage, a natural disaster, personal injury lawsuit, theft, workplace injury, or other catastrophe could cause devastating losses for the company. Many companies, especially small businesses, do not have the liquid assets to cover such losses. Insurance is the safety net that can help a business survive certain events and legal issues.

Issuing a paycheck is not as simple as writing, signing, and handing a check to an employee. The federal and state government expect employers to withhold certain taxes from an employee’s check and submit those taxes, along with employer’s payroll taxes, to the correct taxing authority by certain deadlines. Failing to report payroll properly and pay tax authorities could cause costly fines and penalties for employers.

According to the 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon, no business is too small or too large to be a victim of hackers and data breaches. Information of all types has a value. Your business need not have access to millions of dollars to be an attractive target for hackers. That you store personal information gathered from your customers can make you attractive to a hacker who wants to sell that data to identity thieves. Therefore, all business should assume they are attractive to a hacker.

The Fractional General Counsel Model utilizes an up-front fee structure customized to meet the needs of your particular business. This model is particularly beneficial for start-ups, who may not have the budget to hire a full-time counsel, but want to ensure their investment is protected. Check out our latest video on why more start-ups are using fractional general counsel.

Health insurance premiums can be very expensive for a small business. To offset some of that expense for small businesses, The Affordable Care Act provides a small business health care tax credit. The tax credit can reduce the cost of employee health coverage for a small business. If you need assistance with this small business tax deduction or other tax deductions to reduce your tax liability, you can get more information from a Maryland business attorney.

Is your company complying with Maryland’s new minimum wage laws? If not, you could face significant penalties from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. If you have questions about the minimum wage increase, a Maryland business attorney can review your company’s policies to ensure compliance with the new minimum wage laws in Maryland.

The Maryland Healthy Working Families Act became effective as of February 11, 2018. Many employers continue to have questions regarding the Act’s requirement for employers to provide employees with ESS time (earned sick and safe leave) to care for themselves or their family members, in accordance withthe requirements of the Act. Consulting with a Maryland business attorney can help ensure you are complying with all provisions of the Act.